SECTION 1. Section 20 of chapter 233 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the Fourth clause, and inserting in place thereof the following:-

Fourth, in a proceeding before an inquest, grand jury, trial of indictment or complaint, or any other criminal, delinquency or youthful offender proceeding where the victim in such proceeding is not a family member and does not reside in the family household, neither the parent nor minor child shall testify against the other without the other’s permission. For the purpose of this clause the term, “parent” shall mean the biological or adoptive parent, stepparent, foster parent, legal guardian of a child, or any other person that has the right to act in loco parentis for such child. In cases where the victim is a family member and resides in said household, the parent shall not testify as to any communication with such child that was for the purpose of seeking advice regarding the child’s legal rights and decision making.

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

Unsupported Bill Output Format

The document text is in an unsupported format to view in a browser.

Please use the "Download PDF" link if you wish to View/Print this document.